Do You Need Cash in Japan? A Guide For First Time Visitors
If you’re heading to Japan for the first time, one of the questions that always pops up is: do you still need cash in Japan? We’d read that Japan was a cash-based culture before our first trip and so we carried A LOT of money with us. Would we still do this now? Yes…..but not as much as we used to.
The short answer is that you do need cash in Japan, but card use is increasingly popular too. Japan is famous for being a little old-school when it comes to money, but things have changed a lot in recent years.
On our most recent trip to Japan we found lots of places were taking cards, phones, and even payment via QR codes…..but cash still pays a very big role. This is especially true if you head out of the city to visit smaller towns and traditional spots.
If you’re planning a trip around Japan then you might also find my 14 day Japan Itinerary post useful – a comprehensive, tried and tested itinerary perfect for first time travellers.
After our regular trips to Japan (and more than one frantic moment searching for an ATM that accepted foreign cards!) here’s what we’ve learned about managing money in Japan – and how to make sure you’re never caught short!
- Can You Use Credit and Debit Cards In Japan?
- Withdrawing Cash in Japan
- How Much Cash Should You Carry in Japan?
- Arriving in Japan – Cash or No Cash?
- Cash To Spend In Japan? Here’s Where To Spend It!
- Final Thoughts – Cash Is Still King (Sometimes!)
Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
Can You Use Credit and Debit Cards In Japan?
I’ll keep this answer short: yes you can! Especially in big cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Most chain restaurants, department stores, and hotels accept Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. You can also pay by phone in many places (using tools like Apple Pay, Google Pay and so on).
But it’s not always that easy! Smaller independent shops, such as ramen shops, street food stalls, temples and older businesses still prefer cash. And some will only accept cash. So if you’re planning to visit rural areas of local markets then you’ll definitely want some yen in your pocket!
A good rule of thumb is to make sure you’re carrying both. We always make sure that we have enough yen on us for our whole day’s expenses: if we can use our card then great! If we can’t, then we have the cash we need.
💡 PRO TIP: Always ask ‘Is card OK?‘ before you order in small restaurants. Especially if you’re not carrying cash! This is completely normal and polite: you don’t have to worry about asking for card usage being rude.
Withdrawing Cash in Japan
Run out of cash in Japan? It happens to the best of us, especially when we’re out shopping with our boys! But the good news is you can easily withdraw yen using international cards in plenty of places that you’ll pass no matter where you are. This includes:
- 7-Eleven ATMs (These are found everywhere! And you can get a snack at the same time)
- FamilyMart and Lawson convenience stores often have ATMs too
- Japan Post ATMs
In our experience we found that most of these have English menus (you can choose the language that will work best for you) and pretty good exchange rates. If you’re worried about carrying a lot of money in a busy city, you can consider just withdrawing a few thousand yen at the airport (or bringing these with you) and then topping up from local ATMs during your trip.
💡 PRO TIP: Choose the ‘withdraw in yen’ option when your card offers currency conversion – this usually gives you the better rate option.
How Much Cash Should You Carry in Japan?
We’re a family of four, and we generally carry around 10,000-15,000 yen (£50-£75) per person per day, but we rarely need to spend this (you could definitely get away with carrying less and using your card more!) This covers things like small meals and snacks, topping up our Suica card to use the train, and entry fees for any attractions that don’t take card.
We’ve NEVER experienced a hotel that didn’t take card (so you won’t need cash for that) and we book ALL our attraction tickets in advance via Klook, so we don’t need to carry cash to pay for any attraction tickets either. Places you will almost certainly need cash include:
- Local food stalls, especially street stalls or those outside temples
- Souviner shops
- Temple donations and omamori charms
- Small museums or rural attractions that you can’t book in advance online
💡 PRO TIP: If you’ll need access to your online banking (to check your balance or move money around) then consider using a VPN. This is an affordable security measure that will keep your information safe on public wifi systems. We use SafeShell VPN which you can get at a discounted rate here.
Arriving in Japan – Cash or No Cash?
If you arrive in Japan without any cash then you will find ATMs and Bureau de Change facilities in both Tokyo Haneda and Tokyo Narita airports. But we always prefer to arrive with some cash, because after a long flight the LAST thing we want to do is queue to get money.
For the same reason, we use an eSIM rather than collect a SIM card at the airport. I’ve seen the long queues to collect these in the arrivals hall, and I really couldn’t think of anything worse.
📱 I recommend choosing a 5G eSIM like this one for the best coverage for your trip
🎁 Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK for an extra 5% discount
I promise there’s no better feeling that walking past all the lines to get cash, eSims or train tickets and straight into a waiting car when you’ve been travelling with hours on end with tired and cranky kids! You can read my complete guide to Tokyo Airport Transfers here. It will help you to decide whether private transfers, shared transfers, or taking the train is the right choice for you.
Cash To Spend In Japan? Here’s Where To Spend It!
We often end our trip by still having some cash left in our pockets: but the good news is that there are some wonderful (and largely cash-only) experiences that you can generally use up your yen for.
- Tsukiji Outer Market, Tokyo – This was once the site of Tokyo’s largest and most famous fish market. Now it’s a market where you can go to eat delicious street food. Try grilled scallops and fresh sushi, all of which you can pay for with cash.
- Nishiki Market, Kyoto – This is a lovely market and it’s great for mochi and matcha treats
- Local shrines – You will find these everywhere! We love exploring Japan’s shrines, and duck into every one that we find. Many donation boxes and charm stands only take coins, so this is a great way to use these up.
- Game arcades – from claw machines to gatcha machines, some of these machines will only take 100 yen coins, so this is what we always save our coins for.
Final Thoughts – Cash Is Still King (Sometimes!)
If you’ve read this far then my final thought is that Japan is definitely becoming more cashless, but it’s still wise to keep some yen in your pocket. I definitely wouldn’t be heading out of our hotel room without some cash! Think of carrying cash in Japan as being part of the experience – and make sure you have a coin purse for all the coins you’ll inevitably end up with (our boys LOVE this and save them to spend in the arcade and on gatcha machines).
My advice? Bring your cards AND grab some yen! That way you’ll be ready for anything.
If you found this guide helpful, don’t forget to check out some of our other articles than might help you with your planning:
🗼 Top 8 Attractions In Japan You Can (And Should!) Book With Klook
🌊 Is The Japan Rail Pass Worth It? Our Honest Opinion
WANT MORE POSTS LIKE THIS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX? HIT SUBSCRIBE BELOW
Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
9 Comments